California: The Department of Space/Indian Space Research Organisation has established an endowed fellowship at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology, California, USA. This fellowship is established in honor of Prof. Satish Dhawan, who was the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation during its formative period 1972-1984.

Prof. Satish Dhawan was an alumnus of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and obtained his PhD in aerospace in 1951. He was serving as Distinguished Visiting Professor during 1971-72 at Caltech, immediately preceding his assumption of the Chairmanship of ISRO in 1972. Prof. Dhawan was not only a visionary leader of ISRO but also an internationally recognised researcher and a legendary teacher. He was bestowed with the Distinguished Alumni Award by Caltech in 1969, the highest alumnus honor. The Government of India honoured Prof. Satish Dhawan by awarding him Padma Vibhushan in the year 1981.

The fellowship provides an excellent opportunity every year starting from the winter session of the academic year 2013-14 to one meritorious graduating student from the Aerospace Department of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram to be sponsored by the Department of Space, to pursue Masters in Aerospace Engineering at Caltech.